Dual Receptacle, Multi-Function Button System

ABSTRACT

A dual port dispenser button having an elastic receptacle button which is constructed and arranged, when depressed, to actuate two valves, each having a different function.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/785774, filed Dec. 28, 2018, the entire contents ofwhich are herein incorporated by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Applicant has filed co-pending application entitled “Front Push Tap”,filed as application Ser. No. 16/047214, filed Jul. 27, 2018, the entirecontents of which is hereby incorporated by reference. This applicationis an improvement over that invention. There is a need for a twinreceptacle button or a dual port dispenser.

Without limiting the scope of the invention a brief summary of some ofthe claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additionaldetails of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additionalembodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description ofthe Invention, below.

A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification isprovided as well only for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. 1.72.The abstract is not intended to be used for interpreting the scope ofthe claims.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some embodiments, the invention is a twin receptacle button, in whichone valve dispenses the product while the other valve opens a vent forventing the container. In another embodiment, the invention is a dualport dispenser using a twin receptacle button to enable the control oftwo valves for dispensing two products in one flow stream simultaneouslyfrom a divided bottle system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the outside view of the inventive receptacle button.

FIG. 2 shows the inventive receptacle button, with parts cut away toshow the inside.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the inventive receptacle button.

FIG. 4 shows the inventive receptacle button installed on a tap.

FIG. 5 shows a side cross-sectional view of a twin receptacle buttonembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a back view of the FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 shows a cross-section view with the inventive twin receptaclebutton in the undepressed position.

FIG. 8 shows a front, side and bottom perspective view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 shows to cross-section view of the inventive twin receptaclebutton in the depressed position.

FIG. 10 shows a back view of a dual port dispenser embodiment of theinventive button installed on a tap.

FIG. 11 shows a top view of FIG. 10 with parts cutaway to show theinside.

FIG. 12 shows a side view of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 shows a divided container with two openings which allow the dualport embodiment to dispense two products in one flow streamsimultaneously from a divided bottle system.

FIG. 14 shows a front and top view of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 shows a back view of the inventive button.

FIG. 16 shows the divided bottle with installed dual port dispenser tapfrom a side view in the closed position.

FIG. 17 shows a front view of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 shows a cross-section top view of FIG. 16 taken along line A-A.

FIG. 19 shows an enlarged view of detail A of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 shows the divided bottle with installed dual port dispenser tapfrom a side view in the half open position.

FIG. 21 shows a front view of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 shows a cross-section top view of FIG. 20 taken along line A-A.

FIG. 23 shows an enlarged view of detail A of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 shows the divided bottle with installed dual port dispenser tapfrom a side view in the fully open position.

FIG. 25 shows a front view of FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 shows a cross-section top view of FIG. 24 taken along line A-A.

FIG. 27 shows an enlarged view of detail A of FIG. 26.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a front outside view of the inventive eceptaclespring button 10 is shown. The spring button 10 is made from athermoplastic elastomer and is designed to elastically spring back toits unpressed position after being pressed and released.

Referring to FIG. 2, a view with parts cut away to show the inside showsthe inventive button 10 with the two latch receivers 12 and 14.

Referring to FIG. 3, a side view of the button 10 is shown.

Referring to FIG. 4, the inventive button 10 is shown on a tap 16 withthe seal member 18, which seals the tap opening when the button 10 is inthe unpressed position.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-9, a twin receptacle button embodiment is shownwhich allows a first valve 20, having a flexible stem and seal member18, which is designed and sized to frictionally seal to an inner wall ofthe dispenser port, and a button latch 22 which snap fits into buttonlatch receiver 14 to connect the valve 20 to the elastic spring button10. The second valve 24 has a button latch 26 which snap fits intobutton latch receiver 12 to connect the valve 24 to the elastic springbutton 10. Valve 24 terminates in vent end 26, which fits into a thermalplastic elastomer deflection part 27 which blocks a vent opening 28 inthe button 10 undepressed position, but which opens the vent opening 28in the button 10 depressed position, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9. FIG. 7shows the undepressed position, which FIG. 9 shows the depressed buttonposition. The vent action can be delayed or tuned to optimize the timingof required venting during the dispensing of the product.

Referring now to FIGS. 10-15, a dual port dispenser embodiment is shownwith two valves 30 and 32 having two valve seal members 34 and 36 at oneend and two button latches 38 and 40 which snap fit into two buttonlatch receivers 42 and 44, which are molded into button 10. Molded part46 fits into threaded part 48 to attach to the divided bottle, with twosides 50 and 52. By controlling how far the valve seal members 34 and 36open when the button 10 is depressed, the ratio of liquids coming fromthe bottle halves 50 and 52 can be controlled, to allow for variousratios to be combined into a single flow stream dispensed from the tap.The tap body parts 46 and 48 are a molded plastic parts made of ethyleneor propylene.

Referring to FIGS. 16-27, the inventive dual port dispenser embodimentis shown installed onto the divided bottle (50 and 52) in the closed,half open and fully open positions.

In the two embodiments described, button 10 is shown with a circularbase. However, other shapes and configurations are also contemplated,for example, the base can also be square, rectangular, hexagonal,octagonal, or in the shape of any other suitable polygon. In someembodiments, the cross-section of material can be thicker at the base ofthe button 10 than nearer its peak. It should also be understood thatvalve seal member, which is shown as being circular, could also be othershapes, such as oval, square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal or anyother desired shape, designed to matingly seal to a compatible shape ofa dispenser port.

The above disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive.This description will suggest many variations and alternatives to one ofordinary skill in this field of art. All these alternatives andvariations are intended to be included within the scope of the claimswhere the term “comprising” means “including, but not limited to.” Thosefamiliar with the art may recognize other equivalents to the specificembodiments described herein which equivalents are also intended to bepassed by the claims.

Further, the particular features presented in the dependent claims canbe combined with each other in other manners within the scope of theinvention such that the invention should be recognized as alsospecifically directed to other embodiments having any other possiblecombination of the features of the dependent claims. For instance, forpurposes of claim publication, any dependent claim which follows shouldbe taken as alternatively written in a multiple dependent form from allprior claims which possess all antecedents referenced in such dependentclaim if such multiple dependent format is an accepted format within thejurisdiction (e.g. each claim depending directly from claim 1 should bealternatively taken as depending from all previous claims). Injurisdictions where multiple dependent claim formats are restricted, thefollowing dependent claims should each be also taken as alternativelywritten in each singly dependent claim format which creates a dependencyfrom a prior antecedent-possessing claim other than the specific claimlisted in such dependent claim below.

This completes the description of the preferred and alternateembodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art may recognizeother equivalents to the specific embodiment described herein whichequivalents are intended to be encompassed by the claims attachedhereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dual port dispenser button, comprising: anelastic receptacle button which is constructed and arranged, whendepressed, to actuate two valves, each having a different function. 2.The dual port dispenser button of claim 1 wherein the one of the twovalves dispenses a product through a dispensing port, while the other ofthe two valves provides venting.
 3. The dual port dispenser button ofclaim 2 wherein the vent valve can be delayed or timed to optimize theflow of the product from the dispensing port.
 4. The dual port dispenserbutton of claim 1 wherein when the button is no longer depressed, itelastically springs back to its original shape, which closes the twovalves.
 5. The dual port dispenser button of claim 1 wherein each of thetwo valves controls the dispensing of two different products from adivided bottle system.
 6. The dual port dispenser button of claim 5wherein the two valves are constructed and arranged to provide differentflow rates for each product.
 7. A multiple port dispenser button,comprising: an elastic receptacle button which is constructed andarranged, when depressed, to actuate two or more valves, each valvehaving a different function.